THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 19, 1994 TAG: 9408190580
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: MARC TIBBS
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
The sound of your name, to your ears, is the sweetest music on earth, Dale Carnegie once said.
That principle is even more important when it comes to visual images in the media. When we see people in newspapers or on television who look like we do, we feel better about the medium and the message.
Virginia Beach advertising firm Maxwell Donour has learned that principle well.
The firm had the challenge earlier this year of creating an ad campaign for Kimnach Ford, a company that banks its reputation on selling American-made cars.
Problem was, several other Ford dealers in town also rely on that selling point, and Maxwell Donour was looking for a way to set Kimnach apart.
``We wanted to use the red-white-and-blue story but say it in a different way,'' said Debbie Donour, a partner in the firm. ``Just to play the blond-haired, blue-eyed image wouldn't have been right.''
The firm decided on an artfully done multicultural ad campaign.
Scene One: Camera opens on a middle-aged African-American man dressed in a business suit. He also is wearing a Kente cloth mantle (an African scarf draped over the neck). His hat is a kufi, a circular, brimless cloth hat that fits close to the head.
One gets the impression that the man is perhaps a foreign national, or at least about to make a pitch from some ethnic issue.
But when he speaks, his diction is clear and his English perfect.
``When I was looking for a new car, I wanted something that would suit my personality,'' he says. ``You see, I'm an American. I wanted an American car and I wanted to get it from an American car dealer.''
A flowing American flag descends from the ceiling in the background as the man begins singing the praises of the dealership.
My chest swelled when I first saw that ad. It was subtle, but it spoke volumes about America's composition - our patriotism is not devoid of ethnicity.
The story line is repeated in other ads featuring an Asian American, a Native American, an Italian American and an Anglo-Saxon.
I imagine those patriots felt the same beam of pride I had.
Dealership general manager E.W. Riddick said he was a bit concerned about the ads in the beginning, but that the response to them has been wonderful.
``Sometimes we're too close to the forest to see the trees,'' Riddick said. ``You don't have to look like an Englishman to be an American. I don't even know what a typical American looks like.''
Creator Fred Donour, Debbie's husband, said the dealership has been swamped with calls, mostly from people who said they appreciated what the company was trying to do.
Before production, Fred had run the idea past his wife. She liked the concept then and liked it even more after she served jury duty in a Norfolk court.
``You should have seen the jury,'' Debbie said. ``It was all over the place - African Americans, Hispanics, East Indians. It was really great. This is who we are. These are all Americans.''
It's a refreshing trend.
Network executives at ABC will get into the act this fall when the network airs its situation comedy ``All-American Girl.'' The show features Korean-American comedian Margaret Cho in the title role.
A colleague of mine, Patti Huang, a native New Yorker, spoke in gushing terms about the upcoming show.
``When I saw the commercial for it, I was so happy,'' she said. ``It's what I've always been waiting for. It's such a great feeling to finally be included.''
Carnegie was right. It's amazing how an image creates such a sweet resonance. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Kimnach Ford's multicultural ad campaign, created by Virginia Beach
firm Maxwell Donour, boasts ``All-American cars for all
Americans.''
by CNB